#COWBOY BEBOP LIVE ACTION CAST SERIES#

'Ballad of the Fallen Angels' introduces not just Vicious but Mao Yenrai - the leader of the Red Dragon crime syndicate that Spike and Vicious were partners in - and Anastasia, a friend of Spike's and Mao's. The fifth episode is arguably the most important episode of the five because it sets up Cowboy Bebop's main story arc: Spike's longtime rivalry with former partner Vicious (portrayed by Alex Hassell in the live-action series), and his love interest Julia (portrayed by Elena Satine), an affiliate of the Red Dragon.

#COWBOY BEBOP LIVE ACTION CAST SERIES#

'Stray Dog Strut' finds Spike and Jet hunting down a thief named Abdul Hakim (portrayed in the live-action series by Cali Nelle), who has stolen a valuable lab animal, while 'Gateway Shuffle' is centered around eco-terrorist Maria Murdock (portrayed in the live-action series by Adrienne Barbeau) and her group the Space Warriors, who've created a virus that turns humans into apes. This episode also introduces Punch and Judy (portrayed in the live-action series Ira Munn and Lucy Currey, respectively), the hosts of a bounty hunter public program called Big Shot, where bounty hunters learn about the biggest bounties out. 'Asteroid Blues' is essentially Bonnie and Clyde in space, as Spike and Jet track down lovers on the run - Asimov and Katerina Solensan (portrayed in the live-action series by Jan Uddin and Lydia Peckham, respectively) - from the law, with Asimov hoarding (and trying to sell) a deadly combat drug known as Bloody-Eye.

This is the case with the first, second, and fourth episodes. The first five episodes of Cowboy Bebop are important because they introduce the core cast (save for Ed, who makes his debut in episode nine), as well as guest characters that will be appearing in the live-action series. The First Five Episodes ('Asteroid Blues,' 'Stray Dog Strut,' 'Honky Tonk Woman,' 'Gateway Shuffle,' and 'Ballad of Fallen Angels')

(Also, Cowboy Bebop isn't a heavy lift like most anime series, with the show only having 26 episodes.) So, based on the core cast, as well as side characters that have been confirmed for the live-action adaptation, here's a guide on which episodes to watch from the anime before getting into the Netflix series. For the most part, you don't have to watch each episode from the anime, considering some episodes aren't tied to the main arc of the series. Now, if you're interested in getting into Netflix's Cowboy Bebop, but haven't watched the anime, that's OK. (We'll get into the casting for the other two below.) On Friday, November 19th, Netflix will release Cowboy Bebop, a 10-episode live-action series that finds the Bebop crew portrayed by John Cho (Spike), Mustafa Shakir (Jet), and Daniella Pineda (Faye). Through the Bebop crew's misadventures, the anime series touches on themes like existential ennui and the inability to escape one's past, with its jazz-centered soundtrack complimenting the overall melancholy atmosphere of the show.īecause of its popularity, it was inevitable that the anime, which was released in 1998, would get a live-action adaptation at some point. The crew is an eclectic mix: Spike Spiegel is a former hitman Jet Black is a former Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) officer Faye Valentine is an amnesiac con artist Edward is a teenage girl who's also a hacker prodigy and Ein is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi with human-like intelligence (thanks to genetic engineering). Created by Hajime Yatate (the name of a collective of contributors that includes director Shinichirō Watanabe, screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane, and composer Yoko Kanno), Cowboy Bebop is a space western centered on a crew of bounty hunters traveling through space chasing criminals on a spaceship called Bebop.

Based on the core cast, as well as side characters who've been confirmed, these are the Cowboy Bebop anime episodes to watch ahead of the new live-action series on Netflix.Ĭowboy Bebopis one of the most celebrated and revered anime series of all time.

Cowboy bebop live action cast